Britain salutes Sisulu
2003-05-06 23:46
London - Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw paid tribute on Tuesday to anti-apartheid hero Walter Sisulu, calling him a founder of modern South Africa.
"I know the House will join me in mourning the death last night of Walter Sisulu, one of the founders of the (ruling) African National Congress and of modern South Africa," Straw told lawmakers gathered in the House of Commons.
"We share with all the people of South Africa their grief at this loss," Straw said.
Sisulu died on Monday, two weeks before his 91st birthday, after collapsing in the arms of his wife Albertina after returning from a medical check-up.
Sisulu was a towering figure in the struggle for majority rule in South Africa - serving 26 years in prison alongside former South African president Nelson Mandela and other leading opponents of apartheid.